Liverpool FC Thread #148:- More hard work to be done

[elimmel]

Last 2 matches we should’ve killed the game way before those contentious decisions.
4 points dropped needlessly

[NI KI]

[NI KI]

Liverpool forward Mohamed Salah has scooped the Premier League's Player of the Month award for November.

The 25-year-old netted seven goals in just four outings in the division last month, helping the Reds to three wins and one draw.

That proved enough to pip Robbie Brady (Burnley), Kevin De Bruyne (Manchester City), Eden Hazard (Chelsea), Shkodran Mustafi (Arsenal), Raheem Sterling (Manchester City) and Ashley Young (Manchester United) to the gong.

Salah becomes the first Egyptian to ever clinch the prize and follows Sadio Mane onto the roll of honour for this season after the No.19 won August's award.

Upon being presented with the award, Salah said: "Each month I want to score many goals and help the team to win games.

"That month, I scored seven goals and it's a good feeling, but for me the most important thing is the result and we had good results that month."

[NI KI]

Adam Lallana should be available to Jürgen Klopp for Sunday's Premier League clash with Bournemouth.

The Englishman has made just a single appearance for the Reds this season after suffering a thigh injury in pre-season, but comes into contention this weekend having returned to full training.

Joel Matip and Alberto Moreno remain sidelined, however, and Klopp has a number of other minor concerns to consider ahead of the trip to the south coast – including Daniel Sturridge.

“Joel is on a good way, running outside. [He is] not available for the weekend, of course. The same for Clyney,” the manager told reporters at his pre-match press conference.

“Daniel, we have to wait [to see] how he improved since yesterday. [We have] a few little things, with Joe [Gomez], knocks from the game. Joe had a little bit before, that’s why we left him out. But he should be OK.

“Millie and Robbo, a few knocks from the game, should be OK. Adam is back in full and normal training; if nothing changed since yesterday then he will be ready for the squad at least.

“[Moreno] has no chance for Sunday. I saw him yesterday on the bike – good but not good enough. And Simon [Mignolet] is OK again.”

[NI KI]

Jürgen Klopp admits work is ongoing behind the scenes to assess potential options to bolster Liverpool's squad in the forthcoming transfer windows.

The embargo on clubs bringing in new players during 2017-18 will be lifted for one month from January 1.

“We think all the time about this,” Klopp told his pre-Bournemouth press conference, when asked if provisions were being made to add to the ranks in the New Year.

“It’s not only the January window, the summer window is coming as well, so we have to prepare for things like this with scouting and stuff like this.

“But [I have] nothing to say about them.”

[NI KI]

Liverpool midfielder Marko Grujic is wanted by Brighton and Aston Villa as the race to secure his services in January hots up.

Reds boss Jurgen Klopp is considering sending the 21-year-old out on loan when the transfer window opens and there has been plenty of interest in the Serbia international.

Galatasaray are keen to take him to Turkey but Liverpool are adamant that he won’t be going abroad.

The Reds believe Grujic would benefit more from staying in English football. Brighton and Villa are among a host of Premier League and Championship clubs to have registered their interest in Grujic.

Klopp has yet to make a definite decision on whether to loan Grujic out as injuries could yet deplete his midfield options over the festive period.

However, if Grujic remains on the fringes of the squad then he will depart on a temporary basis in order to boost his development.

Klopp would rather he plays regular first-team football elsewhere than spending the rest of the season playing for Liverpool Under-23s.

Grujic, who cost the Reds £5.1million from Red Star Belgrade in January 2016, has made just one start and five substitute appearances for Liverpool so far this season.

[NI KI]

Christmas referees appointed

It’s a real Christmas miracle.

Four referees for the price of one.

Here is who will take charge of Liverpool’s games over the festive period...

Arsenal: Martin Atkinson

Swansea: Kevin Friend

Leicester: Neil Swarbrick

Burnley: Roger East


Referee Martin Atkinson

[NI KI]

'Reds must choose between Premier League or European glory'

So says former Liverpool midfielder Paul Ince who reckons the team have stagnated under Jurgen Klopp but Reds fans have been reacting to his comments on our Facebook page.

Charlie Wood They want to win every game. The problem is the opposition have their own agenda and for some reason won’t just let us win. Don’t they know we’re Liverpool and have a god given right to win every game?

Peter Jason Keegan Bill Shankly said “the league is your bread and butter” but that was back in the day when a team who won the league were true champions who played in Europe on merit “First is first, second is nothing” but now the Champions League is all about cash and the same is for the premier league to increase competition.

Andi Pates No they gotta get the ball out wide faster and attack the byline with urgency and not attempt to play everything through the middle all the time.

David Knight Stagnant? We don’t win two games, some dodgy decisions and all of a sudden were stagnant?

Seems a little defeatist to me....

[NI KI]

Jurgen Klopp insists Liverpool will have to wait until next summer to welcome Naby Keita to Anfield.

RB Leipzig's recent exit from the Champions League sparked talk of the Reds trying to secure the services of the Guinea international midfielder earlier than planned.

However, Klopp says there's no chance of Keita arriving during the January window.

The Bundesliga outfit are determined to keep him until the end of the season in the hope that he helps them qualify for Europe's elite competition once again.

Back in August, Liverpool struck a deal with Leipzig whereby they will pay a premium on top of his £48million release clause on July 1 2018.

Asked if he had kept in contact with Keita this season, Klopp said: "No. He is a player of Leipzig."

Pressed on whether there was any prospect of bringing the 22-year-old in next month, Klopp added: "How do we deal with this? I thought we don’t speak about transfers.

"There is an agreement with the club that he will come in June or July to Liverpool.

"There is nothing else to say about that. We really don’t think about it because of all the things Leipzig have said.

"They said they do not have to sell any player. Why should they do something like that (letting him leave in January)? So no, we don’t think about it."

[NI KI]

Virgil van Dijk - Southampton boss Mauricio Pellegrino refuses to rule out January exit for Liverpool transfer target



Southampton boss Mauricio Pellegrino has refused to rule out selling Virgil van Dijk when the transfer window opens next month.

Liverpool were interested in Van Dijk back in June and were willing to smash their transfer record to land the classy Dutch centre-back.

However, the Reds were ordered to cease and desist in their attempts to lure the talented defender to Anfield by the Saints, who threatened to complain of an alleged 'tapping up'.

Despite Van Dijk's explosive transfer request in August , the Dutchman stayed put, with Liverpool never launching an official bid.

With the winter window now less than three weeks from opening, Saints boss Pellegrino admitted Van Dijk's future is uncertain.

"I can't control the market, I am not the owner," he said.

"I have my opinion, I have to give to the technical director and the chairman my opinion, but the club will decide what's best.

"I can't control the market, and I am not the owner of the players, I will recommend to keep our best player here, in the club."

When pressed on Van Dijk's future earlier this week, Pellegrino said: "I can’t say nothing about that because you never know what can happen in the future.

"We have got a lot of players in our club that the other clubs wants to buy or on loan.

"Also the market offers not much but we will be ready."

Van Dijk was left out of the Southampton side that lost 1-0 to Chelsea on Saturday afternoon, with summer signing Wesley Hoedt preferred alongside Maya Yoshida.

“We have to choose the players who want to help the club 100 per cent," Pellegrino said before the game.